AdminParramatta Eels player Bailey Simonsson has reportedly made a surprising move by asking to leave the NRL club right away, even though he has a three-year agreement. Simonsson, who has played in two grand finals, is signed with the Eels until 2027 after extending his contract last year.
However, it seems like the 27-year-old is no longer in the coach Jason Ryles’ plans. He was noticeably not included in the team list announced on Tuesday. With Sean Russell injuring his hand in the game against the Melbourne Storm last week, Eels supporters thought Simonsson would take his place.
Instead, Jordan Samrani was picked to play in the centers when Ryles revealed his lineup for the game against the Cowboys on Sunday. Simonsson was completely left out of the 22-player roster, as Ryles chose to go with several younger players over some experienced ones.
Simonsson has only played six games in the top league in 2025 after coming back successfully from an ACL injury. He participated in Round 19 against Penrith and Round 20 against Canberra, but was not selected for the match against the Storm last weekend. After he was not mentioned in the squad on Tuesday, there were rumors that he might have sustained another injury. However, updates soon shared that he has asked to be let go from his contract and wants to leave the club.
Tim Mannah, a former player, was surprised by the news about Bailey Simonsson. When Ryles became Parramatta’s coach last year, he was one of the first players to get an extension. But as a new coach, Ryles has been making big changes to the team in 2025, not including other older players like Ryan Matterson as well.
Simonsson could be the third player from the 2022 grand final team to leave in the middle of the season, following the departures of Cartwright and Matterson. Tim Mannah shared his thoughts on NRL Tonight on Tuesday, saying, “This is really strange to me because Bailey has been a key player for us in recent years. He has always performed well for us, so I’m not sure what’s going on. But I really like Bailey and believe he deserves a spot in the team. “
Changes in the Parramatta Eels team by Jason Ryles were discussed on the ‘Tip Sheet’ podcast, hosted by the well-known ‘The Cumberland Throw’ account on Tuesday night. It was noted that “Ryles has already made significant changes to the players at the club and clearly wants a new look for the team. If a player wants to leave, I don’t think Ryles will hesitate to say, ‘If you want to go, you can.'”
Throughout his career, Simonsson has played 101 NRL games but has dealt with many injuries. He played 45 games for the Raiders between 2019 and 2021, and then another 56 with Parramatta. He was in the 2019 grand final with Canberra and the 2022 final with the Eels, both of which ended in losses.
Ryles really wants to focus on what’s best for the Eels in the long run, so he decided not to choose Dylan Brown for the past month since Brown is going to Newcastle next year. With players like Isaiah Iongi, Joash Papalii, Dean Hawkins, Ryley Smith, Charlie Guymer, and Tallyn Da Silva, things look promising for the team.
But on Tuesday, the fans of Parramatta had mixed feelings after they heard the news about Simonsson.
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